


Keeping Time

by Saffronra



Category: Sapphire and Steel
Genre: Case Fic, Gen, Implied Relationships, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 16:46:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saffronra/pseuds/Saffronra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time never travels quite as it should when you're at an airport.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [severinne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/severinne/gifts).



> I don't own Sapphire and Steel, British Airways or Concorde. Please excuse the more obvious handwaving on the series finale, timelines, aviation history and airport security procedures. I loved getting to know this series again during the course of writing this fic so thank you so much for requesting this fandom! I hope that it meets at least some of your expectations and that you enjoy reading it. Thanks to S for the beta, any remaining errors are mine.

Sapphire smiled and put her coffee down on the table in front of her. She couldn't see him yet, but she could feel the particular tug in her mind that meant that Steel was around.

'You're late' she chided gently through their telepathic connection.

'You're early', he sent back as he slid into the chair opposite her. He gave the cup in front of her a disdainful look. "What is that awful smelling liquid?"

"It's an infusion, made from the roasted berries of the Coffea arabica plant. It acts as a mild stimulant and is a popular drink within this particular culture." Sapphire paused, "The absence of the beverage would cause undue attention in this location."

Steel had already switched his attention away to the crowd milling around outside the coffee shop. 

"Have you located the break yet?" Steel asked.

Sapphire let her gaze unfocus briefly as she stretched out with her mind, brushing along and cataloguing all the separate threads that bound together this particular time stream. 

"There's a lot of interference here, there are many different times flowing into this one."

Steel frowned at her. "How is that possible?"

"We're at a terminus for travellers. Many of these people have travelled from a different time zone and their bodies have not yet adjusted." Sapphire looked towards one of the men in the queue. "That man has travelled from a city called Sydney, located some ten thousand and six hundred miles away. His body believes that it is early morning tomorrow."

"But this is normal? On its own, this isn't sufficient to cause a break."

"Not on its own, no. The confluence of so many individuals on different time streams makes it easier, but wouldn't be the root cause. No we're looking for something quite different."

They sat together in silence as they watched the spill of passengers into the arrivals hall. 

Sapphire focused her gaze on Steel and let her a slow smile spread across her face.

"You were with Silver." Her eyes betrayed her amusement as Steel scowled and shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"I hardly think that's relevant. Nor is it unusual. We do work together sometimes." He cleared his throat. "There are many levels to this building, we should investigate another."

The departures level was less crowded and quicker to search. Sapphire was on the verge of suggesting that they try elsewhere, when a group of flight attendants passed by.

'Steel', she called out silently. 'Those uniforms are nearly thirty years out of date.' She called on the light around her and Steel, coaxing it until it reflected the illusion that they were wearing the same old-fashioned uniforms. Her vision took on the blue hue that signified she was manipulating the physical world in some way as they followed the group through into the restricted area without notice.

The room they entered was filled with people dressed in the same old-fashioned way. Waiters in tuxedos were walking around the room, carrying trays of canapés and champagne. A banner pinned to the wall declared "from the first flight, to our last flight: a celebration of 100 years of aviation history". Jazz music was playing softly over the PA system. A handsome middle-aged man in a pilot's uniform cleared his throat and tapped at a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Friends and colleagues. On behalf of British Airways, I'd like to welcome you to this sad but historic occasion. In just a few moments, we'll be asking you to board Concorde for our final transatlantic flight to New York. Our estimated flight time will be just under three hours, so you will be arriving in New York before we have left London." He chuckled awkwardly. "This 'time travel' through supersonic travel would have been inconceivable to the Wright Brothers when they took to the air for the first time, exactly 100 years ago. I'll be carrying a small piece of their history with me today," he paused while he held up an antique pocket watch for the room to see. "This is the time-piece that Wilbur Wright carried on that first manned flight, on loan to British Airways from the Smithsonian Institute." 

Steel made eye contact with Sapphire and raised his eyebrows towards the pilot. 'I think we've found the cause of the break'. 

Sapphire gave the tiniest shrug. 'I do hope so. I have plans for later with our mutual friend.' Her lips quirked and Steel could feel the different shades of meaning she'd layered the word mutual with through their mental connection. Thankfully she didn't press any further, just fixed her eyes on the watch as well. 'So, how do we get rid of it?'

'Follow my lead' Steel said, as he stepped decisively towards the pilot.

Once the pilot had walked off, convinced by the reassuring weight of a compact mirror in his pocket, the two of them stood by the window, watching as all the passengers in the room filed towards the gate to board their flight. There would be an enormous problem when the airline discovered that they no longer had possession of the Smithsonian's priceless artefact, but Sapphire and Steel weren't concerned with that. As far as they cared, the danger of the time break had passed with the grind of delicate gears and shattering of glass in Steel's grip. Their job was here was done. Steel glanced briefly up at Sapphire's face before looking resolutely out of the window again, radiating discomfort.

"Earlier", Steel hesitated slightly. "Earlier, when you said I'd been with Silver, how did you know?" Sapphire knew that this must have been needling at him since she'd said it. He wasn't making eye contact with her, though that was hardly unusual. The slight pinkish hue to the visible parts of his ears was, however. She inclined her head towards his wrist.

"He's been agonising over finding you a gift that you'd find functional enough to actually enjoy." Steel was wearing a sophisticated chronometer that was clearly heavily customised, he pulled the sleeve of his jacket down to hide it from view. Sapphire reached out and took hold of his hand, some of the tension eased from Steel's shoulders. Of the three of them, Steel was most uncomfortable with the trappings of romance. Sapphire made no secret of the entertainment she derived from some of the more human rituals she'd discovered, and Silver enjoyed making his lovers squirm in a whole manner of different ways. Steel was unyielding and preferred efficiency over all else, but he was slowly coming round to the overtures Sapphire and Silver were making. 

"We're going to Antarctica next. There's a solar eclipse. Why don't you come with us?" Sapphire tucked her arm into his and as they walked off towards the exit, their figures faded and disappeared.


End file.
